Celebrate This Spring with Canadian Turkey! #TimeForTurkey

Spring has sprung! Have you begun to think about some of things you want to do now that warmer weather is on its way? There are many special days that are great opportunities for families to get together and enjoy special moments with one another. One way to help make a celebration special is with food. Want a power-packed protein that is bound to please at any occasion? Try serving turkey with help from Canadian Turkey!

Photo credit: https://www.canadianturkey.ca; Canadian Turkey logo.

Family Meals

No matter the size of your gathering, a whole turkey is a fabulous to prepare and serve! Turkey is a much healthier choice to serve while being able to serve a show-stopping meal to help you celebrate your fun event. Both white and dark meat are lean, allowing for a lean and delicious meal to be served. A whole turkey also helps your budgeting goals. With the various cuts of meat a turkey can provide, it helps to satisfy your gang’s individual preferences. When broken down on a person-by-person basis, you will find how inexpensive this bird can be! Turkey would make a great meal idea for festive family gatherings such as Mother’s Day. Father’s Day, Victoria Day, graduations, and more!

But turkeys are so big! Aren’t they difficult to prepare?

No! Canadian turkeys are actually easy to cook. There are only a few basic steps to follow to get a turkey from the store to your plate. Adding stuffing, rubs, and marinades can help to take a classic turkey dish to the next level. Do you find you are often pressed for time or are a novice in the kitchen? A basic roast turkey recipe and olive oil can be a delicious recipe to try. All that needs to be done is to prep and season your bird, then let the oven take over! Add some rice or potatoes and a few vegetables side dishes to put together a meal that will wow your guests. Roasting a whole bird also allows you to enjoy more time with guests so you can celebrate, too! See below how easy it is to prepare this Super Easy roast Turkey Dinner recipe!

Place the turkey into your roasting pan. Add the wine or turkey broth.

Cut the heads of garlic in half. Add to the pan. Add rosemary sprigs.

Roast for 45 – 60 minutes until the juices run clear and an instant thermometer reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the breast. Drumsticks will be cooked up to 15-20 minutes sooner, remove when ready and an instant thermometer reads 165°F (74°C).

Remove the turkey from the oven and let the breast rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Squeeze cooked garlic cloves out of casing. Mash into pan juices. Heat gently and add flour, if necessary, to thicken to create a gravy.

Recipe Notes

TIP: You can easily customize this recipe to your guests’ likes and preferences. Increase the breast meat if guests prefer white meat or increase drumsticks or add thighs if more desire dark meat instead. White or dark meat, turkey is still super lean.

There are usually A LOT of leftovers after cooking a turkey. What can be done with them?

Yes, there can be lots of leftovers from a roast turkey. This is what is also so amazing about cooking this awesome protein. Canadian Turkey sees leftovers as lifesavers! Did you know you can make a delightful dinner with only two pounds of extra turkey meat? Planning for extra turkey means planning for extra meals, prepared all at once, and keep in the freezer until it is needed. This makes weeknight dinners easy to put together when your family is busy. Canadian Turkey has a handy turkey calculator that help you figure out the exact size of turkey you need for any occasion.

What else can be done with leftover turkey meat?

With three or four cups of leftover turkey meat stored in the freezer in individual freezer bags, they can be used as a base for marvelous meals. All you have to do is to defrost it in the fridge the night before. These freezer meal starters can be used as the base for soups, salads, grain bowls, chilies, casseroles and pastas. Turkey also works well with different flavours and spices. This helps to modify any basic recipe into many different meals. Love eating pasta? Take a look at the feature pasta recipe on Canadian Turkey to see a variety of variations to make it simple to change things up. Make planning for extra turkey leftovers a must to give yourself a head start on weeknight dinners and lunches. It will pay off in the long run.

What else can be done with Canadian turkey?

Canadian turkey can be used in so many different dishes. You can visit Canadian Turkey for additional tips, recipes and HOW TOs to create dishes of all sizes, from snacks and appetizers to full meals and family favourites. Their recipe section is a treasure trove of make-ahead dishes and leftovers. It is always nice to know that you have some delectable dishes for the rest of the week, or pop into the freezer to warm up some pre-made meals for your family’s hectic weeknights. Spring in a perfect #TimeForTurkey!

Celebrate This Spring with Canadian Turkey

Disclaimer: This post was generously sponsored by Canadian Turkey.

A Springtime Canadian Giveaway!

Are you ready to make spring #TimeForTurkey with your family? Canadian Turkey would like to help you celebrate this season by giving one lucky Ottawa Mommy Club follower a $75 Hudson’s Bay e-gift card (Redeemable at The Bay, Home Outfitters, or thebay.com)!

The ARV of this prize package is $75!

This giveaway is open to Canadian residents and ends at 11:59 PM EDT on May 4th, 2018.

Good luck!

Rules: Open to Canadian residents 18 +. You have 48 hours to reply by email once you are notified as the winner. If you don’t, we will draw another entry. Prize is non-transferable. No substitution or cash equivalent of prizes is permitted. The selected winner must correctly answer a mathematical question in order to win the prize mentioned above. The Ottawa Mommy Club is not responsible for prize fulfillment and for the delivery/shipment of the prize(s) mentioned above. For our complete set of rules, please click here.

My name is Lian Wright. Born in Toronto, I came to Ottawa as a student to study Political Science at Carleton University, and came away with an Honours Degree, and decided to stay. I'm a huge sports fan, have a love of reading, and like experiencing new things whenever I can. I am now a mother of three children (11, 1 and 7 months old) and am kept constantly on my toes.
My blog, Pieces of Me, is my way of sharing what I have enjoyed and encountered in my life so far as a mother. So far, being a mom has had it's expected ups and downs, but that's what makes being a parent so fulfilling for me. I've loved and learned from what's happened so far, and I can't wait to see what's in store for me next. I hope you enjoy the journey with me!

I actually tried the Turkey Biryani the other day; I altered the spice mixture a little, but it was delicious and perfect celebration for Spring. FYI, Indian Biryani dishes are normally eaten for celebrations and special events.